Who deserves to rule, the rightful leader or the skillful leader?England’s nobles have lost their patience for King Richard’s capricious rule and financial mismanagement. When Richard’s cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, returns from banishment to claim his dead father's estate, Richard's days on the throne become numbered. Does Richard relinquish the throne or does Henry seize it? And are the challenges of absolute power too much for anyone? Wildly popular in its day, Richard II examines the psychology of leadership and the dual nature of hubris and ambition through a blend of national history and personal tragedy.